


Inverted Sky

by Teyova



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, lance has never seen the outside world and keith falls in love with his amazement of it, shame and regret.doxc, this au totally wasn't made solely for upside down spiderman kissing i swear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-14
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-30 23:41:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8554273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teyova/pseuds/Teyova
Summary: "Just grab my hand!"Keith looked at the outstretched arm reaching toward him, desperation burning in the blue eyes that were locked onto him. He hesitated only a moment before taking the hand of the boy who was falling into the sky.





	1. Chapter 1

"Are you going back there?" Hunk asked worriedly, eyeing the gear Lance had tucked under his arm. He knew exactly where Lance was intending to go once he'd seen the equipment Lance had procured and was very much against it.

"Obviously, Hunk. Do you think I dress like this to impress the ladies?" Lance questioned rhetorically, or until he saw the look on his friend's face. " _Would_ this impress them?" He wondered aloud, tossing his climbing gear on the ground so he could unfold his navy blue construction overall. Looking at the uniform once it was splayed out, Lance figured it could pass for that weird sexy construction worker type deal...

At least, had he planned to actually use them for construction work.

He held the one-piece out in front of himself so that he could fit his legs through and pull it up the length of his body. Hunk shot him a disapproving look as Lance zipped up the front, stopping just below his collar bones. "You keep those puppy dog eyes off me, bud," Lance teased as he reached for the boots he had discarded by the railing. There was never a way to ignore the concerned looks on Hunk's face once they formed, no matter how unfounded they usually were.

"I wouldn't have to show you them if you'd stop going there."

"Ah, but where's the fun in that? No offense, but watching you and Allura play with your gizmos isn't exactly entertaining to those of us with average brains."

"Okay, _first of all_... They aren't gizmos, they're machines we're building to help us study anti-gravitational and electromagnetic fields," Hunk explained, although sure much of it when right over Lance's head. "And _secondly_ , you didn't find it boring when we built that unit."

Lance recalled the sealed chamber Hunk and Allura had developed that reduced the force of gravity, allowing him to jump around as though he were weightless. While he could understand the interest in gravitational studies, Lance preferred to live his life outside of textbooks and away from all the laboratories in their compound. He resigned himself to taking care of the manual labor ends of their research, despite their insistence that it wasn't necessary.

Slipping his feet into the steel-toed combat boots, Lance ties the laces until they were triple knotted. "You know what I mean," Lance said, rolling his eyes at the fact Hunk had bested him. "Besides, I've done this _literally_ a thousand times, there's nothing to worry about!"

"You've done this seventy-two times, and with you involved there's _always_ something to worry about."

Hunk sighed from his spot next to the railing before picking up Lance's gloves and tossing them to him. He knew there was no talking Lance out of something once he'd made up his mind. Hunk only wished that there was someone else that could keep an eye on him and keep him out of too much trouble. As if knowing what was running through Hunk's thoughts, Lance patted him reassuringly on the shoulder.

"I'll be fine," Lance said, pulling the gloves over his hands as he grabbed the grappling hook and ropes off the ground. "I've got everything I need to keep me safe," he stated firmly, gesturing to the hard hat that was currently squeezing his skull. Lance pressed the button on the side of the helmet on and off again, flashing the side-light in Hunk's face.

Smiling at Hunk's annoyed expression, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of safety goggles. "And nothing will hurt these baby blues of mine so long as I have these," he added before slipping the goggles back into his pocket. He had no intention of wearing them, but figured the gesture would at least help to placate Hunk on the topic of his safety.

"You have your pack?" Hunk asked, running through his mental checklist of what Lance would need for his little spelunking trip.

"Of course, I need lunch at some point," Lance responded as if it were the most obvious answer.

"Harness?"

"It's built into the costume, my man."

"Anchors?"

"In the pack right next to the shackles and draws, before you ask."

Hunk ran his gaze appreciatively over Lance's collection of gear before giving a reluctant nod of approval. "Alright," he said quietly, still not entirely comfortable with Lance going alone. He'd normally go with Lance, but Coran had accidentally caused miasma to spread throughout the third lab, and Hunk had to help run cleanup with Allura before it reached the living quarters.

"Yes! I knew you'd come around!" Lance cheered, showing Hunk his trademark triumphant grin. "Well, not that you could have stopped me anyway, but it's the thought that counts." He looped the rope around his right shoulder and down to his elbow, over and over until it no longer dragged along the floor. Hooking the grapple to the harness on his hip, Lance deemed himself prepared enough to enter the danger zone.

"I'll make sure to let you know if I discover anything mind blowing."

"Just be careful, Lance."

"Hey you know me, careful is my middle name."

"I though your middle name was babe-magnet."

"That's a title, my friend. One I plan on reclaiming upon my return," he joked, giving Hunk a quick thumbs-up before spinning on his heals and heading down the darkened hallway before Hunk could change his mind. Lance clicked his flashlight back on to help him navigate the familiar labyrinth, ignoring the scent of dust and sewage that clouded the air, quite literally. It made Lance wish that he'd heeded Allura's multiple warnings about airborne contaminations and taken a mask.

Oh well.

Whatever was making its way through the air was probably less dangerous than the actual forbidden area he was planning on entering. It had been sectioned off from the rest of the underground passageways in an attempt to keep anyone who wasn't certified to enter it away. Of course, since Lance wasn't part of the science division he wasn't technically certified, but he was still given permission to enter the zone nonetheless.

It was because he was one of the few actually unafraid of it.

The danger zone was an area in chamber thirty-four, which opened at the end of a hallway into a large rocky cavern. A metal walkway extended out over the cavern halfway before ending, it's edge overlooking a drop that seemed to go on forever. The only lighting consisted of ceiling lamps at the hall's end, the neon lights built into Lance's uniform, and whatever others Lance brought with him. He had once brought with him the most powerful light he could find, and never could he see what was at the bottom of the cavern.

It was simply endless.

So during Lance's cave outings, he would sometimes venture into the abyss in hopes of finding a clue to what was at the end. Of course that was only when unaccompanied by one of his friends. If they knew he was willingly lowering himself into a pit of darkness, they'd have his head on a platter.

But someone from the garrison had to do it.

Okay, maybe no one _had_ to. But Lance could, and that's why he wanted to see what instilled such fear in the others. Because it wasn't just the pit of death that had them all rattled-

It was the stories of the monsters who hung from the ceilings.

Now, Lance had obviously never seen a monster in the cavern. But the stories had been passed down from earlier generations of their people's leaders, those of true Altean lineage. According to those myths, there were humanoid creatures that stalked the Altean from above. Some said they stole people away to never be heard from again, and others said that they simply caused people to fall to their death in the danger zone. No one in Lance's generation had ever gone missing in such a way, so he had serious doubts in the validity of those stories. Even so, he couldn't help but be interested in all of the mystery surrounding the cavern.

That's why when he finally reached it, he immediately got to work.

He took careful steps out onto the metal walkway as it shook and creaked beneath him, causing him to grab the railings for balance. Lance knew the foundation was stable, but that didn't stop the noises of shifting metal from unnerving him. As he slowly approached the edge, Lance removed the grappling hook from his belt, securing it on the corner of the walkway. He slid the rope off his shoulder and grabbed the end, feeding it through the clip on the grapple. Honestly, it wasn't the most stable of ways to lower himself downward, but he only had to drop a few yards. After that, he would be able to reach the footholds that protruded from the cavern walls.

Tying the knot around the hook, Lance gave it a strong tug to see if it would hold his body weight. When it didn't budge, Lance decided he was satisfied with the condition of it, and lowered himself until his feet were dangling off the edge of the walkway. He always hated the initial act of climbing down the rope, so he took a deep breath and looked upward, away from his possible doom.

There was a faint light toward the top of the cavern which came from the overhead light that was in an opening a few floors above where Lance was. It was dim enough that you couldn't see any lower than the walkway, but bright enough that you could make out all the specks of dust in the air and the glitters of white lining the rocky cavern.

If Allura hadn't told him it was probably because there was asbestos in the chamber, he would have found the sight beautiful.

At the very least, it gave him a chance to relax before he tossed the rope over and gripped the edge, carefully allowing his weight to drag him downward. He had turned so he was facing the walkway as he lowered himself below the metal, his hands grabbing the edge as he used all the upper body strength he could muster to keep himself from falling too fast or losing his grip. Once he was successfully dangling from the walkway, he quickly snatched the rope with one hand, attaching it to his belt before giving one more reassuring yank and letting it take his whole body weight.

Both his hands were now gripping the rope for dear life as he slowly began to climb down.

He looked toward the cavern wall, trying to judge the distance between himself and the closest foot holds. He just had to lower himself a few more feet, and he'd be able to swing his way over to the metal bars. Lance wrapped his legs around the rope for more support, his feet squeezing the rope as he continued to slip down.

He was only another foot away before the chamber began shaking.

Lance couldn't figure out where the source of the rumbling was coming from, but it didn't matter. When he looked up, he saw that the metal walkway was coming loose at the edge, the bar his hook was attached to was coming loose from the force of the shaking. Cursing under his breath, Lance began swinging on the rope, hoping he had enough time to gain enough momentum to make the jump before the walkway broke...

He didn't.

Lance felt the tension break on the rope as the walkway gave way, sending Lance down into the abyss beneath him.

* * *

Keith tapped his knuckles on the window, continuing to activate and deactivate the tint effect. When he heard his teacher's disapproving grunt, he tore his gaze from the outside world. What was the point of plastering the walls in giant windows if no one was allowed to look out them?! "This damn school is so annoying," he muttered, tired of the strict rules dictating his person while in the presence of administrators.

"Oh? Are you looking to get expelled?"

Scowling at Shiro's teasing words, Keith returned to playing with the tinting. Even if he wasn't technically allowed to look outside, he'd at least get the satisfaction of angering his teacher. "Not really," he answered truthfully. Despite not agreeing with the school's philosophies, he had no intention of leaving their program.

There was no where else for him to go.

"Well then," Shiro continued, placing a comforting hand on Keith's shoulder. "Keep your eyes on the ground. Unless you want to become a _sinner_ ," he joked, earning a small breath of laughter from Keith. If there was ever a competition for the most ludicrous idea to base your culture on, the Galra Empire had all everyone beat.

Their entire society had been based upon the ancient stories of heretics, and how in search of more power, caused a catastrophe that sent them into the sky. Every morning students had to sit through the same ridiculous spiel about how looking to the sky would make you a sinner, and cause you to "fall." Keith didn't know what was more insane- the idea of falling into the sky, or the rules against even looking at a stupid cloud.

"So I shouldn't look at the sky? At the sun? _Ever_?"

"I wouldn't recommend looking directly at the sun, no. But if you're going to anyway, don't get caught."

Keith rolled his eyes while nudging Shiro's butt off the top of his desk. He slept on that during class, and didn't need the taste of ass keeping him awake. "Anyway, where's Pidge? I didn't see him in class." Keith's eyes traveled over to where their friend's desk was, the familiar mop of messy light brown hair notably absent. He was always able to count on Pidge to contradict the teacher's words and keep things interesting, so his friend's vacancy was disappointing.

"He's doing some sort of experiment," Shiro answered, strumming his fingers along the edge of Keith's desk. He didn't know what sort of things Pidge was working on, and frankly, he was too scared to ask. The last time he sat in on one of Pidge's projects, he had to get a replacement finger for his prosthetic arm.

"Did he at least get permission to skip class this time?"

"Honestly? I don't even bother to ask anymore."

Keith smiled at the thought of what problems Pidge was probably causing for the school's administrators. Pidge had been accepted into the curriculum despite being a few years younger than the other students on account of practically being a genius, but Keith figured there would be a limit to how much Pidge could get away with before getting kicked out of the school. He only hoped Pidge wasn't in the middle of blowing up the science lab, whether it be the school one or the makeshift one built from the abandoned storage unit Shiro had stolen the key to.

"Are you going to make sure he doesn't cause the zone to collapse?" Keith asked under the assumption Pidge was off base. Keith didn't know what sort of experiments Pidge was conducting, but if they were being done away from school Keith would bet that they were dangerous, probably explosive, and definitely expulsion worthy.

Not to mention the lab was above the danger zone which was prone to collapsing with enough force.

"I would but I'm on duty today," Shiro answered. Since he was part of the Galran security forces, most of his nights were spent... doing whatever it was his job actually entailed. Shiro wasn't allowed to divulge his duties to civilians like Keith, so he had no idea what Shiro did outside of his day job- which involved watching over future prospects for the force...

And ultimately, Keith and Pidge were the ones he had his eyes on.

"I guess that leaves me," Keith muttered, his voice being drowned out by the sound of the bell, signaling it was the end of the school day. Keith sighed appreciatively as he pushed his chair back and got to his feet, stretching his arms above his head. "I'll go make sure to pull his head out of whatever book it's stuck in."

* * *

Just passed the school's property was an open field of wild grasses and flowers, expanding southward until reaching the gated canyon. It was one of the few areas that wasn't monitored by anyone, hence the reason Keith and his friends visited it often- Shiro to escape the clutches of his superiors, Pidge to conduct unorthodox experiments, and Keith to simply... enjoy the view.

There were no teachers to scold him for looking upward as the sky changed colors from dawn until dusk, or as the clouds formed overhead to cast a shadow on the ground beneath. It was always breathtaking to watch, and Keith couldn't understand why it was so frowned upon, borderline illegal. Shiro had told him it was because people were trying to prevent another catastrophe, but...

It's not like Keith actually believed the stories of people falling into the sky, let alone doing so simply for looking at it. If that were true, Keith would have long since have been hurled into the sun. Yet he wondered if Pidge believed in the stories. After all, his friend was always secretly researching the events from decades ago that led to the myth being formed.

He just hoped that Pidge wasn't going to get caught looking into it.

It was why he and Shiro always went to check out the experiments Pidge was conducting- not just to make sure their friend was safe, but to make sure any attention being drawn to Pidge was diverted. Shiro had never explained why, but he had told Keith that it was a sensitive subject to the higher ups, and that he and Pidge should be careful in what they look into.

So once the abandoned shack came into sight despite the large distance away it still was, Keith was happy to see that it was still just that: abandoned. From the way Shiro talked, he half expected to go there one day and find Galran soldiers surrounding the place and slapping handcuffs on Pidge.

What he _didn't_ expect was for the ground to start shaking beneath his feet.

His eyes instantly looked back toward the lab, assuming that was the starting location of whatever just caused the dirt beneath his feet to shift. But surprisingly there wasn't a trace of anything that would have suggested Pidge was the cause of the disruption- no smoke, no explosion, no fourteen year-old kid running out of the building and cursing about an experiment going wrong.

Keith looked toward the canyon on his right, wondering if a landslide had somehow occurred. The entire area had been fenced off for decades with signs labeling it as the "danger zone." Keith had always thought it was due to the ground being unstable, so he decided to place his bets on the origin coming from the rocky basin.

Once the shaking had halted, he moved closer to the edge of the canyon in hopes of seeing just what had caused the miniature earthquake. He reached the chain link fence and gripped the metal as he peered down into the gorge. Keith had never really paid attention to what the zone had looked like before, but he didn't really notice anything out of the ordinary-

Except for the low metallic clanging sound coming from deep beneath the ground.

His eyes scanned the length of the canyon through the fence, but he couldn't pinpoint where the sound was coming from. The noises were echoing off the stone walls so Keith couldn't make out their direction. But the sound was definitely getting louder as it changed it's pitch... It sounded like something was banging off of a metal surface, yet...

It wasn't the only sound Keith was hearing.

There was something else, something that sounded...

Human.

Keith jammed his legs into the openings in the fence as he began to climb, hoping for a better look downward into the danger zone. As the sounds became louder they also became more defined, and Keith could definitely make out the voice of someone screaming. For a split second he worried that it might have been Pidge, but the voice was too deep to be coming from his younger friend.

But who the hell else even be anywhere near the danger zone?

As if to answer his question, he heard a long scraping alongside the stone beneath him as the shouting became quickly audible. Keith glanced back down just in time to see a shadowed figure fly up from the darkness of the cavern, banging into the fence and almost knocking Keith off. The speed at which the figure flew up created it's own wind, forcing Keith to shut his eyes from the sting of the cold air.

And when he reopened them, his gaze locked with a pair of frantic blue eyes.

"What the-"

Keith had to lean back from the fence just to make out what he was looking at. On the opposite side of the fence was a boy close to him in age, with tanned skin and dark hair. He was completely covered in dirt and scratches, none of them hidden by the over-sized blue overall he was wearing which suffered multiple rips in the thick fabric, with a harness on his chest having been caught on a piece of metal jutting out from the fence

But the oddest thing about the boy wasn't his clothes or injuries, the alluring blue eyes or the darkened skin...

It was the fact he was upside down...

His knees were above the top of the fence line, not even touching the metal pole across the top. His hands were clinging to the fence at the same height of Keith's shoulders, but...

He was facing the opposite way.

His head was toward the ground and his feet were facing the sky...

"W-What the hell?!" The boy said, his voice cracking from the breathlessness in his chest. "Who the heck are you?!" He asked, tightening his grip on his only lifeline. Keith could only stare at him in shock for a moment before being able to attempt to respond.

"That's what I should be asking you!" Keith exclaimed, his eyes still darting from the boy's eyes to his feet. "Why the hell are you upside down?!"

"What?! _You're_ the one upside down!"

"Huh? Are you insane?!"

"Apparently, if I'm talking to you!"

Keith could only sputter wordlessly as he glared at the other boy, wondering if he even knew what sort of position he was in. Then again, Keith didn't really understand it either. After all, he didn't believe in people who could fall into the sky.

Yet here was someone who was about to do just that.

He was about to respond when they heard the distinct sound of the boy's harness ripping at the seams. The harness had been holding much of his body weight down, and with it gone his grip was loosening. Keith watched as the boy slipped, just barely able to grab the metal bar at the top of the fence before completely flying upward feet first.

Panic covered the boy's face as he looked back at Keith. "What are you waiting for, hurry up and help me before I fall!" He yelled, snapping Keith out of his awe at the fact the boy was basically flying, or falling as it were. Keith climbed up further on the fence as the boy extended his arm toward Keith.

"Just grab my hand!"

Keith looked at the outstretched arm reaching toward him, desperation burning in the blue eyes that were locked onto him. He hesitated only a moment before taking the hand of the boy who was falling into the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yooo okay so this is an au from the movie sakasama no patema so for those of you who've seen it, you know what this is about //finger guns// and if you havent seen it i totally recommend it, and be warned there'll probably be major spoilers in later chapters 
> 
> i wanted to wait a while before posting this but im too impatient and have no self control lmao klance is too good. if u dont yet understand whats going on 1. im so sorry and 2. itll def be explained in the next few chapters so hold tight


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Keith noticed was that the inverted boy's hand was cold to the touch.

The second was that he really was at threat to "falling" if Keith didn't get a better hold on him.

So once he'd secured his grip on the brunette's hand, he dug his feet into the openings of the fence to hold his balance while he reached his left hand up to grab the other's free arm. Keith slid his palm along the inside of of the boy's forearm until he could circle his fingers around it and tighten his grasp. He did the same with his other hand, feeling the boy strengthen his own hold on Keith by doing the same. Looking up into those blue eyes, Keith understandably saw both relief and worry in them.

It wasn't like this was easy for Keith to accept either.

The only thing grounding them were Keith's boots digging into holes of the fence. His chest wasn't even touching the chains- he was slightly pulled back from the support, the opposite weight of the boy keeping him surprisingly level. Yet he could still feel the tug of the other's weight, threatening to pull them both into the sun if they didn't do something. Keith had to make his own weight was greater or at least equal to the invert's. His eyes glanced passed the boy's form to see he had a pack on his side, and if Keith had to guess from the construction uniform he was wearing, the bag was probably filled with heavy equipment...

"You need to lose some weight."

"What?! I'm in perfect shape, you jerk!"

"Huh? No you idiot, you have to drop some of the things in your bag," he explained, shocked that the boy could find time to take offense in a situation like this. But he saw the acknowledgement in the other's eyes, and knew he understood what Keith meant. Keeping one hand clinging to Keith, he released the grip of his other, and reached down to his side where the pack was connected to his waist. He needed to drop the weight a little at a time to make sure he didn't lose too much and take Keith up with him.

He opened the pack and took a handful of metal clips out of his bag. His hand moved out to the side away from his body, and the boy carefully let go of each clip one at a time. Keith waited for the items to fall down and smack him right in the face, but...

Instead they flew upward into the clouds.

Keith watched the boy's movements in awe, his gaze following each of the pieces he dropped as they quickly flew up and out of Keith's sight. It wasn't just this person who was inverted... all of his possessions were as well.

Deciding Pidge would have a field day with the guy, Keith drew his attention back to the weight of the boy in his hand, waiting for there to be enough slack that he wouldn't drag the both of them up if Keith got off the fence. He closed his eyes, focusing on the pull of the boy above him. They were getting closer, but they still needed to drop some weight. Keith listened to the sounds of the metal clicking against each other in the boy's hands, counting down as he heard each item fall. He waited... and waited... until he felt their weight even out.

Keith desperately hoped his judgement wasn't off as he bent his knees and jumped back off the fence, his boots pulling out of their only foothold. He ignored the surprised gasp of the boy and looked down, placing his attention on the grass beneath them. He braced himself as his feet hit the ground, and his free hand instantly shot up to take back the hand of the boy he'd previously released.

He watched the lower edges of the fence line, ready to dig his feet back into them if they started flying up.

But after a moment of holding his breath, Keith realized they were still on the ground...

"That was clo-"

"What did you do that for?! I could have fallen!" The boy yelled angrily, fidgeting in Keith's grip.

"Well we couldn't stay on the fence all day!"

"Yeah, but at least give me a warning next time! I think my heart stopped," he said, snapping his gaze away from Keith to look at the sky beneath his feet. "Okay, that's terrifying," he muttered, looking back at Keith. "Take me somewhere with solid ground!"

Solid ground? Where exactly was Keith supposed to take him? The boy was an invert, one of the very people his society hated. He couldn't very well take him back and parade him around campus. Even then, where exactly was solid ground for someone like him?

Keith paused.

"The lab..."

"The what?"

"My friends lab, you should be safe there," Keith answered. The "lab" was actually an old abandoned storage unit that Pidge had transformed into a research building. The only ones that knew it was in use and had keys to get in were Pidge, Keith, and Shiro. It was small and out of the way, the perfect place to hide someone who was probably wanted by the government simply for existing. It wasn't the ideal place to live of course, but it was a secure building with a ceiling- which Keith figured was like a floor to an inverted person.

"Wherever's fine, just put me on ground before you drop me!"

"Don't tempt me."

"What?!"

"Nothing! Just hang on."

"Obviously!"

Keith resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he turned around, the boy still holding onto him from above. He looked towards the north where Pidge's lab was and took a slow, careful step. His body felt lighter thanks to the counterweight, but the oddest sensation was of the invert above him holding onto Keith's arms as his only lifeline. As the only thing keeping the boy from falling into the sky, Keith felt an odd sense of responsibility for him...

Taking another nervous step, Keith felt the boy's fingers dig into his arm. It was no doubt scarier to be in his position than Keith's, yet he didn't want to rush to the lab and risk loosing their connection. So while he continued to walk to their destination, he did so meticulously, focusing more on his hold on the boy then where he was walking. Which is why when he stumbled a bit into a small ditch, the invert let out a concerned yelp.

"W-watch where you're going, you idiot!" He said, somehow clinging tighter to Keith who hadn't thought it possible.

"My name isn't idiot, idiot. It's Keith."

He heard the boy puff out an annoyed breath before answering. "Well _Keith_ , if you could focus on not letting me go, I'd appreciate it."

"I wouldn't have to do that if a certain moron didn't get stuck on that fence in the first place," he retorted. Keith had tried to bite back a taunt but failed, the boy somehow breaking his composure and making him want to respond to his banter. The invert scoffed, knowing Keith was technically in the right.

"If you're name isn't idiot, then mine's not moron," he said, and Keith looked up to meet his eyes. "The name's Lance."

Keith smiled as he turned his attention back to the ground. "Lance, huh?" He muttered aloud, thinking it was an interesting name. "How'd you end up here anyway?" Keith asked, curious as to how Lance wound up in Keith's world.

Lance watched him warily, unsure how much about himself he should share with Keith. "I was just... exploring," he answered, starting to get a headache from staring up at Keith in an attempt to avoid looking downward. Keith arched a brow at Lance's explanation.

"Exploring what?"

"The bottom of the danger zone," he said quietly. "I've been there dozens of times before, but this is the first time something happened."

"... You mean that earthquake or whatever that was?" Keith guessed. If it was strong enough that Keith felt as much shaking has he did, he figured it would have had to been worse underground. Lance nodded awkwardly, trying to send a glance back toward the canyon.

"Whatever it was broke my hold on the walkway and sent me falling down here."

"You mean _up_ here..."

"What was that?"

"I said you have bad gear."

"It's not the gear's fault!" Lance exclaimed defensively. "It's whatever caused that stupid earthquake!" Keith looked at the approaching form of Pidge's lab at Lance's words. It was true that in all his life, Keith had never remember there ever being something like an earthquake. So it made him wonder...

Just where was Pidge during all of this?

If Pidge was in the lab like Shiro had said, then Keith supposed his friend would have noticed and come out to investigate. That is unless...

"Dammit Pidge," he whispered so Lance couldn't hear. He wasn't so sure Lance would accept help from the person that had most likely caused him to fall in the first place, so Keith decided to keep that hypothesis to himself until proved otherwise. But it still begged the question as to _where_ Pidge had gone. Keith could now see the front of the lab, and he could tell just by looking at it that Pidge wasn't inside.

Keith hurried his steps somewhat, his arms beginning to tire from holding Lance up- or down -for so long. The building was about the size of Keith's classroom, with enough space for Pidge to do his experiments, yet small enough that the Galran empire paid it no mind. It was just outside the edge of the danger zone, hidden by only a large oak tree on one side. Keith could hear the relief in Lance's voice as he spoke.

"Is this it?" He asked, examining the rusted-over white laboratory.

"Yeah. Only my friends and I know about it, so we should be safe here for a while."

" _We_?"

Keith looked up at Lance, frowning. "Well yeah. You can't leave here on your own," he said, thinking that much was obvious. "Since I live in the dorms I won't be able to spend a lot of time here outside of class, but I'll at least be able to keep you company until we figure out what to do." Lance remained silent while Keith eyed the front of the building, noticing that the door was left cracked open.

Which either meant Pidge was somewhere nearby, or someone broke in.

"Pidge!" Keith called out, scaring Lance at his sudden outburst. He waited for a response from his friend, and when he received none, Keith kicked the door open.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Lance questioned in a hushed tone. "I thought we were trying to keep a low profile?!"

Keith scanned over what he could see from the doorway, but it didn't look like anything had been disturbed. Then again, Pidge often left much of the lab in disarray, so Keith probably wouldn't notice one way or the other. "Just making sure we're alone," he told Lance, not bothering to go into detail of why there might be a danger to someone else entering the lab.

"If it's because you're planning to have your wicked way with me, good luck," Lance responded, trying to pull his legs closer to his chest so he could reach the top of the door frame with his boots. Keith ignored Lance's suggestion and crouched close to the door, giving Lance enough space to get his legs just inside the building. But Lance paused before fully stepping foot inside.

"What is it?" Keith asked, having expected Lance to be overjoyed finally having a foothold. But he was still hanging onto Keith who was crouched awkwardly at the entrance.

"How would that even work?"

"Huh?"

"You having your wicked way with me... Like, physically y'know? Cause you're upside down and I don't-"

Keith rolled his eyes, letting go of Lance's arms. He stumbled a bit as he hit the ceiling and sent a glare at Keith until he realized just how much he missed the ground, or ceiling, beneath his feet. He bent over, placing his palms on the metal and Keith heard a low chuckle escape Lance's mouth. "Oh sweet sweet ground beneath my feet, how I've missed you," he said happily while Keith simply observed him.

He took a few steps inside until he was just passed where Lance was sitting on the ceiling, and Keith couldn't take his eyes off him. It was odd, being able to really see just what their situation was...

Keith who was restrained to the earth, and Lance who was anchored to the sky...

Forcing himself to look away from Lance for one moment just to get his bearings, Keith took a quick look at the rest of Pidge's lab. He walked through the area, scanning over the research covered tables and empty windowed rooms that Shiro had built for Pidge's experiments. It didn't seem like anyone had broken in, which meant the Pidge had gone out...

Somewhere.

Keith spun on his heel back toward Lance. "Hey, my friend's probably around here somewhere so-"

He stopped speaking when he saw Lance ducking right behind the doorway, leaning just over the top of the door frame and looking outside. Keith quietly approached until he was standing at Lance's right side, just beneath him so that their faces were almost level. Keith could see in Lance's eyes that he was trying to take in all the sights as though he'd never seen any of it before, his eyes actually shining in amazement.

"What's up with you?" Keith asked, momentarily breaking Lance from his trance. He looked down at Keith, an honest smile playing at his lips.

"I've never seen it before," he answered quietly, returning his gaze to the sights before him.

"Seen what?"

"Any of it- The sun, sky and clouds... the grass and trees, those flowers... I've never seen any of it before."

"What? How is that-"

Keith remembered where Lance had fallen from. The old danger zone, which supposedly stretched miles into the earth. Did that mean that...

As if knowing what Keith was thinking, Lance nodded. "My people live by the danger zone. There are stories and pictures of this place, but... No one's ever lived to see it and tell the tale. Most thought it was just a myth. I never thought _this_ is what was at the bottom of the chamber."

Keith was trying to wrap his head around what Lance was saying. His people, the inverts, had been living underground? And ever since the catastrophe from the sound of it. But how could they have lived down there without anyone from the Galran empire noticing? It was true the the danger zone was off-limits since it had supposedly been ground zero from the time people fell into the sky, but surely someone had to have gone down there at some point? Even Pidge wanted to start an expedition down into the caverns...

But Keith would leave the problem of finding out those answers to his friend. Because what he did know, is that in front of him was a boy who had never looked at the sky or touched the grass, and he saw everything Keith's people took for granted as a wonder. "If you think this is cool now, you should really wait until night time," Keith said, bending over to pick a plant from the grass that was just outside the doorway. It was a deep blue, much like the color of Lance's eyes, and had multiple flowers sprouting from a single stem. He handed it to Lance, happy to see the grin that spread across his face when Keith gave it to him.

"The sun will set and the moon and stars will come out," he continued. If Lance was this excited just to see a few clouds, Keith wondered what look he'd have seeing hundreds of stars painting the sky. But when Lance looked at the flower with the intent to smell it, Keith held his hand up. "Ah- I'm pretty sure that's poisonous, so don't-"

Before Keith could finish, Lance had tossed it to the ground. "What're you doing giving me a poisonous plant you asshole?! Are you _trying_ to kill me?!" He asked, the smile on his face quickly being replaced by a scowl.

"Wha- if you let me finish, you would have heard me say that only ingestion of it is dangerous!" Keith said, instantly annoyed at Lance's attitude. Forget thinking Lance was someone who lived a sheltered life and wanted to see the world, he was just an idiot, wasn't he? "And if I wanted to kill you, I would have just let you fall!"

Lance opened his mouth to respond before snapping it shut, surprising Keith. He ran his hand awkwardly through his short hair as he looked back at the doorway. After mumbling something Keith couldn't make out, Lance quickly turned his attention back out the door and at the sky beneath him.

"What was that?" Keith asked, curious as to what Lance had whispered.

"thanksforsavingmeiguess" Lance said too fast and quiet for Keith to make out.

"What?"

"I _said_ , thanks for saving me!" He exclaimed, only sparing Keith a quick glance out of the corner of his eye before looking back outside. Keith's gaze dropped to the flower that was lying in the grass, and he hid back a smile.

"It's not like I had anything better to do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everyone always talks about how lance is so in love with keith's beauty and im like yeah it's true and i get it but lance is gorgeous and keith is hella gay???


End file.
